Lucas wasn't exactly excited to see his uncle. He was, however, excited about the information he'd received on Marcus. When the law fails to do their job, Don never disappoints. If not for the slew of felonies on his personal record, he'd be the best fed America could hire.
"He's up north," Don welcome Lucas into the living room, "Some sleazy hotel. Do you think Maya's there?" Don held the face of a concerned father. Luke almost forgot that his uncles were his greatest enemy at the moment.
Luke wanted to tell him Maya wasn't that dumb. He wanted to assure him that she was just in over her head and young. However, she knew exactly what she was doing. Luke was hesitant but he sat next to Don with his arms folded over his knees in a slouch, "Yes." He laid down, "I could put my money on it."
A single tear rolled down Don's aging face. As if he'd turned his gangster mode off and he was actually a human being, "I thought I raised her better than this..."
"You can't control her anymore," Luke sighed, "She's an adult." Luke leaned in sincerely, "But no matter what she says or does. She loves you."
"She's in a hotel... With a child molester." Don reminded him.
"She loves him," Luke shrugged, "She'll do anything to convince us, as well as herself, he's the man of her dreams."
"What if she's there when all this goes down?"
Luke didn't know how to answer that. He knew Maya was the kind of girl to take a bullet for the ones she loved. He knew she'd probably get herself killed. He twiddled his thumbs.
"What about Ana?" Don questioned, "She could squeal?"
"She's not." Lucas sat back and studied the ceiling, "She won't even leave me; knowing I could get arrested!" Lucas facepalmed himself, "She's too stubborn to admit that's what's best for her."
"Somehow I think you're being a little hypocritical." Don pointed out, "She's an adult ; you can't control her; She'll always love you-"
"I get it." Luke smirked, "I just don't want her hurt; waiting on me to get out. Never finding true- I don't want her hurt."
"I understand." Don looked past him at Ana who was smiling at him. Luke turned to see Ana and he lit up on the outside, inside her was pondering what Don had placed on his conscience.
"How's The Talk?" Luke asked her.
"As predictable as any other talk show, I suppose." she shrugged leaving an awkward silence.
"Well," Don stood and looked at Luke, "It's time to go, Luke."
"Yeah," Luke never took his eyes off of Ana, "I have to go. Remember what I said." He rushed over to place a gentle peck on her lips. Ana just watched as the back of Luke's head disappear out of the front door.
*******
Luke held his pistol towards the floor as Don loaded a magazine. Don passed Luke the magazine and with a snap it held in place. Don looked at the hotel and then at his nephew whose face was drenched in anger.
"Don't do anything...rash."
"I'm not thinking..." Luke stepped out of the car tucking his gun in his belt, hiding it with his coat.
"No matter what you still have Ana," Don reminded jogging to catch up, "She needs you,"
Luke ignored his uncle and swung open the glass doors to the hotel. For a crappy hotel, the receptionist was dressed in designer. Head to toe, this man was wearing at least $100,000. Not to mention the gold watch. Luke approached the man, his name was 'Matt' or so his name tag read.
"Hey, Matt." Luke smiled at the man, "I need some information."
"I'd love to help you, sir! Just give me-"
"What room is Marcus Keaton in?" Lucas couldn't care less about how 'offended' Matt looked. He came for one thing and one thing only.
"Sir... I can't disclose-" Lucas grabbed a hand full of Matt's brunette hair and forcefully shoved his face into the desk. He repeated until Matt didn't twitch, he was barely breathing. Don stepped up, eyes wide, and slapped Luke's chest.
"That's assault, Luke!" Don reminded.
"It's about to be murder if he doesn't tell me," Lucas raised Matt's head. Matt had a red sea of blood running down his face, "What I want to know."
"I'm calling the cops." Matt informed.
Lucas sighed and leaned towards Matt who was standing holding his face, "I'm not a bad guy," Lucas ripped up a few Kleenex and handed it to Matt so he could clean himself up, "I just really need that information," He sealed with a smile.
"He's in room 103," Matt coughed up, "Checked in last night, payed in cold hard cash."
"No offense," Don started, "But at $40 a night..."
"He payed for 2 months stay." Matt shrugged, "Maybe even permanent."
"Thank you, Mr. Matt," Luke placed 3 hundred dollar bills on the desk, "Go get something nice, for yourself." He patted Matt's shoulder and left. Don rolled his eyes and followed Luke.
Luke turned the corner into a corridor. The corridor revealed the true sleaziness of the hotel. The paint was chipped and the wallpaper was falling off the wall. When Luke called the elevator, Don and him could hear it scrapping the rails all the way down.
"Dammit!" Luke cursed looking down at his jacket, "He got blood on me!" Don rolled his eyes, "That son of a bitch."
"It's hard to control your blood when someone is bashing your face in." Don stepped in the elevator first, the Luke. Luke pressed the button labeled '100-150'.
"This will be the first time you've seen Maya since she left for college." Luke addressed the elephant in the room. Don just stayed quiet, "Listen, for what it's worth. She hasn't changed. I know she's in there somewhere."
"I don't care," Don looked at Luke with sorrowful eyes, "She's my daughter. I don't care if she's changed- I love her."
Luke couldn't even imagine the pain Don was feeling. Luke believed in karma and deep in his gut, the thing he listened to more than his own mother, he knew that Don deserved to feel that way. He'd earned it. Luke dreaded the karma he was going to face. The thought kept him awake at night.
"You ever think this..." Luke was referring to everything they'd done wrong, "Everything! Is it going to catch up to us?"
"One things for sure," Don walked out of the elevator, "It's too late to take it back. And beyond all that spiritual bullshit, what goes up must come down." Luke understood perfectly. He just didn't want to accept it.
Luke shifted his shoulders as he stormed down the hallway. He could hear the floorboards whisper as his feet presented them with pressure. His heart began pump at 100 mph as the gold plated letters read '103'. He pulled his pistol from the holster and leaned on the door. He could hear Marcus arguing with someone, he nodded for his uncle to knock on the door.
"Room service." Don knocked on the door and Luke cocked his pistol as soon as they heard the door unlocking Luke pushed open the door with enough force to push the women standing behind it to the ground. Luke studied the plump black eye and her busted lip. Don noticed it was his little girl. The one he raised, and taught how to ride a bike. The one who made him breakfast in bed ever fathers day. Luke waved for Maya to be quiet and she just nodded.
Luke crept down the hallway. He looked at the broken mirror reflection and watched as Marcus stood behind him with a gun to his head. He raised his hands and dropped the pistol.
"I told you to stay out of it." Marcus gritted through his mustard yellow teeth.
"You raped my girlfriend." Luke reminded him, catching eyes with his reflection, "Beat my cousin... I couldn't stay out of it."
"She wanted it." Marcus smirked, dropping Luke's heart, "She probably touches herself just thinking about it."
Lucas had heard enough. In a swift action, he turned and connected his fist to Marcus's jaw. The men tossed and tumbled as they fought. Until, Marcus capitalized and grabbed his gun and stood up pointing it between Luke's eyes.
"You think I want to do this?" Marcus asked Luke.
"It doesn't look like you're having a bad time." Luke shrugged, looking into the barrel of the gun.
"Ana is my sister." Marcus started to tear up, "I loved her."
A gunshot rang. And Luke closed his eyes. He knew he was shot. He saw everything he'd done wrong in his life flash directly before his eyes. He could see all the opportunities flash he'd missed. Every little detail haunted him in what seemed to be an hour. He could've been a doctor, or a lawyer. Instead, he was a criminal.